YOU could say Christmas has come early for Ballarat hobby trainer Tracey Collins.
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Just Sleighenem ($5.20) saluted for Collins in the Dimension Homes 4yo/older Pace, 2200m, at Ballarat harness on Sunday night.
The four-year-old, which is raced by Collins and members of her family, is out of mare Mary Xmas Lombo.
While she failed to fire a shot at the races, Mary Xmas Lombo is well connected, being out of handy racemare Mary Mazzini (6 wins) and a half-sister to Fanci Pants Lombo (16 wins), Lombo Smoke Haze (10 wins), Ole Master Lombo (7 wins) and Contrarymary Lombo (6 wins).
Mary Mazzini was one of six winners out of top-flight mare Mazzini Magic (21 wins, $360,000).
For Just Sleighenem, his first win comes at his seventh start.
NERVES turned to joy for Ballarat owner Gerard Cahir with his pacer Pas Mate at Ballarat twilight trots on Sunday.
Coming off a luckless run, Pas Mate ($2.20 favourite) broke back into the winners’ circle in a 4yo/older pace, 1710m. The win came almost 12 months to the day since the five-year-old’s previous success at Kilmore on June 25.
Pas Mate is trained and driven by Cahir’s son Nathan and now has four wins to go with seven minor placings in 35 starts.
As well as being at Bray Raceway to see his horse race, Cahir was also on deck as a race night sponsor for a community fundraising function.
SMYTHES Creek trainer Emma Stewart’s stable is within a breath of reaching $1m in earnings for the season.
A Vicbred Super Series double at Kimore on Saturday night and another success in Sydney on the same night took the earnings past $999,000.
Stewart’s run of wins in VSS heats continued with Hes Kinky ($2.30 favourite) in a 4yo entries and geldings event and Our Femme Fatale ($2.30) in the 4yo mares’ division.
Like several stablemates, the duo moves straight into VSS semi-finals.
Whereibylong ($1.50 favourite) qualified for the group 2 $50,000 NSW Breeders Challenge 3yo fillies’ final at Menangle on July 12 by taking out a semi-final in Sydney. Having previously won a heat, Whereibylong now has 11 wins in 19 starts for $260,000 in earnings.
SMEATON harness racing trainer Ken Whelan produced Djasker ($3.30 favourite) for a win off 10m in a T1/better trots, 2150m, at Melton on Friday night.
It was the six-year-old mare’s first victory since September, 2012, when trained by Ross Graham. Djasker was placed in group races as a two-year-old. She now has 11 wins for $70,000.
ANDREW Payne broke a run of near misses with Arandom at Hamilton gallops on Sunday.
Payne had had to satisfied with a run of minor placings in the previous month, but this turned around with the former New Zealander in a 0-58 handicap, 2200m, on a heavy10 track.
It was just Arandom’s third race start since arriving from NZ, where had had one win.
DARREN Weir’s record-breaking season keeps on keeping on.
Wolf Hunter ($4) took out a maiden, 1600m, at Hamilton to follow up Street Allure ($4.80) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
TEJON ($2.90 favourite) again showed her liking for Geelong’s synthetic track on Friday.
Having started her racing in NSW before joining the Ballarat stable of Simon Morrish, Tejon was placed three times on the track in May-June before the breakthrough in a 0-64 handicap for fillies and mares, 1900m.
david.brehaut@fairfaxmedia.com.au